Lone Gangster
by WhatifStoryTeller
Summary: In the middle of nowhere, Gajeel, a high-ranking gangster, finds himself injured and taken care by a little pretty girl. With businesses crashing and Gajeel getting worse day by day, will the two survive? Revised from Fable of Fairies, AU, LevyxGajeel.
1. Chapter 1

**Genre: Action/Romance**

**Pairing: GajeelxLevy**

**Modern AU, Changed ages, foul language.**

**...**

His head thumped, and he moaned; the pain was unbearable. He slowly lifted his head off the ground and everything around him spun out of control. Maybe he had way too much to drink last night. He held onto his head, righting his vision of his surroundings. Everything cleared; and his brows furrowed at the sight. He was sitting in the middle of a dump. Trash of all sorts was scattered across the ground; even a few metal pieces shined against the sun. The dirt marked his side, where he was laying, and bottom.

"Where the fuck am I?" he cursed out loud; quickly jumping to his feet. He scanned the surroundings, but nothing was familiar. All of the nearby buildings were crumpling, and/or busted into. Sure Downtown wasn't the best places to live, but it was nowhere as bad as wherever the fuck he was. And, other than himself, there wasn't another living person around; where in Downtown, the streets were always crowded and busied.

His studded black boots shifted the dirt; making a path across the dusty dump. He recounted the events that lead to this, but he faintly remembers any of it. The last thing he remembers was sporting a good twelve shots before everything went hazily and finally black. There was some that wasn't as faint as the others; like punching one of the local drunks for stealing his shot; and when one of his underlings dared to challenge at a drinking contest. He smirked while thinking where each of those are right now; the hospital.

A dibble of sweat made its way down his pierced face. The sun heated his black clothing; making his headache worst than it was already was. "Ah...! I'm never going to drink again...!" he moaned. Course, no matter how many times he promised that, he always went back to drinking. It was the only thing enjoyable then hearing your idiot underlings mock on how powerful they were. Just annoying.

They wouldn't be mocking any more once he gotten a hold of them. He just needed to get out of this wasteland and back to his turf in Downtown. Once again, the question returned to his mind; where was he. The lost man was a gangster called Gajeel.

"I-I do-don't know-!" shuttered a feminine voice. Gajeel continued walking; it didn't concern him.

Something slammed against a piece of metal and it clinked. "You know why people call this place a dump?" The voice was merciless and echoed through the scrap metal.

The female gulped and her eyes became wide."B-Because...it's where our tr-" The female was cut off by laughter.

"A place exactly for trash like yourself! And no one would ever find you!"

"Wh-What?!" Her back leaned against what was left of a building. Her hair stood up in terror for what was going to happen next. She looked around her surrounding, and the only thing in reach was empty bottle. She grabbed it and crashed the bottom against the crumpled wall. '_This always works in the movies..._' she thought; hoping this fertile attempt would work.

The owner of the voice from earlier roared with laughter. "Don't you get it? You are a damsel without a prince! Nothing going to help you, wretch!"

"What did I ever do to you?!" she yelled. Her figure shivered as he walked closer.

"What didn't you do?" he asked her. "This place is gone for! Yet, you want stay here in this dying town! You are no different from this dump!"

Gajeel stopped in his tracks. That sentence peaked his attention, and now he was listening. The female with blue hair hiccupped, "This is our home!" She took a tiny step forward; looking at her ex-friend in the eyes. They were only friends for a couple months, but the blond didn't see anything worth in the town to stay.

"Was," he corrected. He walked closer to her. A knife glinted from the sun's rays. The bottle she was holding rose up, pointing right at his chest. Her eyes shut; holding the position. He gently pushed her arms downward, and the bottle crashed on the ground. The knife was positioned underneath her neck.

She gulped, and looked at the hand that held the knife. Any moment now she could be dead meat.

"If you are going to kill someone, then kill them," Gajeel remarked. He was now standing behind the blond man.

"Huh?" the man holding the knife turned around. His nose was itches away from the pierced man's chest.

"Stop playing around; kill her if you are not a pussy." If the blond couldn't even do that much, he didn't even deserve to live.

"Who the fuck are you?!" exclaimed the blond.

"What? You haven't heard of me? I have beaten up more worthless men than you," Gajeel glared. The aura around him was cold and deadly.

"This is none of your fucking business!"

"So troublesome... This is my business," the man countered. In Downtown, he made a profit of killing fools like the one standing in front of him. Even his underlings could do a job as simple as that; this man wasn't even worth his time.

The blond turned around and pointed the knife at chest covered in black. "Leave. This doesn't concern you, asshole."

"Don't tell me what to do." He grabbed the knife in the others' hand; and squeezed. The edge of the knife went into his hand, but he didn't show any pain, only a smirk. Blood leaked down his hand and fell to the ground; painting it red.

The wind blew past them; the pierced man's hair flowed with the wind. At this moment, he didn't feel any pain; just blood lust. His eyes turned red and a smile crawled up his face. It's been awhile since he could have fun. There were too many police in the big city to unleash chaos; but fighting in the dump would be his first time.

The other male shrunk back, and all of his cockiness left. He let go of the bloody knife; blood was left on his hand. He knew he would get blood on his hands; but not like this. "Wha...? Why?"

Gajeel punched the air next to the man, who gulped; he turned his head and looked at how close it could have hit him. The black-hair swiped his hand down, right on the blonde's chin. He was knocked backwards; landing in the same place where the blue haired girl was moments ago; she ran to the other side when the blond was focus on Gajeel.

He held onto his jaw as if it would fall off any moment. Gajeel cracked his knuckles and flashed the blond an evil grin.

The girl shuttered and closed her eyes. Her legs wouldn't move; and she was stuck watching the two fight; the fight was more like a one side beat down. The man dressed in black and stubs was punching the blond. His hits were all accurate, making contact with the other. The blond coughed; his body began to turn blue, purple, and red from all of the attacks on his body. Gajeel wouldn't even let the other make a move. He kept punching right, left; and the man couldn't even block the incoming attacks.

Blood spattered; mixing into the dirt. The blond panted, weakly tried to fight back. Gajeel kept smiling as he overcame the blond. His attacks were fierce and bloody. When he was in Downtown, he always fought for himself, and never for a girl or even one of his underlings. He only fought for himself; and only for himself. Yet, he was there saving a girl, who he didn't even know.

He punched the man in the ribs; he coughed up blood; the girl squealed.

Finally, the blond collapse on the ground; the girl gulped. She was now left to face the pierced man. Her eyes darted from left to right, but she knew she wouldn't get away in time; the man was too fast that even if she did run, he would catch up.

"Hey you," Gajeel spoke. He was facing the other way; looking at the body on the ground.

Her ears peaked up, and she smooths herself against the wall. She was going to die in this dump.

"Where the fuck am I?" he asked.

_'What...?'_ she mentally thought. Her mouth was ajar, staring at the other. Once she got somewhat over the shock, her nimble voice answered, "South of Fiore."

"Know how to get to Oa-" Before he could finish, he collapsed on the ground. The blue-haired girl gasped and ran to his side. Even if he could be a danger, he still saved her life; she owed him.

**I'm revising this Oneshot and making it into a multi-chapter. There's going to be more fluff than the first draft, in which it was titled Fable of Faries, but now removed. Please follow, favorite, and/or review. **


	2. Chapter 2

Cloth wrapped around his hand. Each piece positioned to cover up the cut. Blood still came out, dying the cloth red. She unwrapped it again and cleaned the wound; hopefully it would work this time; keep the swelling down. She knew very little health remedies so she soaked the wound in water. His head rested on her lap as she worked on the wound. He moaned and groaned every time she made contact with the bloody slice in his hand; it torn through multiple muscles.

"This is going to leave a scar..." the girl whispered. All of her attention was focus on the hand that she didn't notice he was awake.

He snorted, "One more to add to the collection." After dozens of fights within the city, this wasn't something new.

"AH!" she shouted, jumping back in the couch. He was thrown off of her lap and onto the ground. The water spilled on his head.

"Fuck..." he cursed into the floorboards.

"Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean too!" she pleaded. She was so jumpy from what happened in the dump, which it caused her to act like that.

"To fucking late," he remarked. He tried lifting himself with both of his hands, but the pain from his right caused him to collapse on the ground. He grunted for a few seconds and tried again with just his left; it worked and he was back on the couch. Levy stood near in case the man needed any help; she was barley strong enough to carry him back to her house. His soaked hair dripped onto his clothing and the couch from the water.

She stood up quickly and moved into the kitchen. Her breath slowed down. She moved across the floor, lifting bowls, napkins, and pickles; getting a warm water to soak the hand into. Once she stood outside of the living room, she took a breath and walked in. Her mouth opened and she chose her words carefully as if not to upset the beast."Thanks for saving me."

"I didn't save you. That trash was nothing."

"But I would have been dead..." she mumbled. Her head lifted from the ground, and focused on his hand once more. It was too silent than she liked, so she tried to start up small chat between the two. "What's your name?"

"Gajeel," he answered after a few moments.

"I'm Levy," she said back when he didn't ask for her name in return. "Levy McGarden." He nodded his head weakly, but he drifted off into a deep sleep. She could only chuckle at how tired he was even though he just awoke.

She sat there and finished dressing his hand in cloth after rinsing it. It was the same hand that blocked the attack. The same hand that saved her life.

Her hand squeezed tightly around his hand; not tight as if to harm him, just enough he was still asleep. She observed his body; his shirt was undone. She turned her head and looked away with a blush painted on her cheeks.

He had as much muscles as he did piercings.

Just like a hero that saves the maiden from a dragon; without the piercings…

...

"You like readin'?" he asked one day. Levy nodded from where she was. He opened up a book that was next to them. Corners were bent in; wet spots marked on the paper; dirt ran through pages. This wasn't a new book; it looked as if she read it a million times already. "It's boring," he grunted after the first sentence.

"It's not boring. The book is about a love between two that never meant to be. A true love tragedy," she defended. She took the book from his hands, in which he happily let it go, and spun around in the living room. Her fingers raced through the pages, and she came across her favorite part of the book.

"See, boring." He watched her stand in the middle of the room with the book open.

"Then read after the first sentence," she added.

He grunted and turned around; he was facing the couch instead of her. He groaned since he was now lying on his swelling arm. In the end, he just lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Books were boring. End of story. No matter what happens within a story, will not happen in real life; when you can steal, kill, bribe, fuck, and whatever else he liked to do.

Levy's eyes warped through the page, and she turned to the page. Her face was in the book as she traveled through her house. With her eyes reading words instead of looking at what was ahead of her, she tripped over a pile of her books.

"Maybe not so boring," Gajeel chuckled.

She blushed and dusted her skirt off as she stood up. She bent the corner of her page and laid in down in the stack of books; none of which she has finished. Her feet stumbled across the floor as she went out of the living room. Now Gajeel was left without entertainment. He glanced to the nightstand, which he gotten the first book from, and to the exit where Levy left from.

Even if he was bored, there was no way in hell he would pick up a book. Why didn't this girl have a goddamn TV in the living room?! Even back at his place, there was always some sort of channel on; well, they just liked to see themselves on screen.

…

Levy went into the town. She passed buildings that she grew up with; now they were all crumpled and broken. Cars parked on the side of the street; lined up for the Gas Station; a sign hanged outside of the door, 'Out of Gas'. Broken windows of the old movie theater. Dust formed clouds in the air as she passed the old dinner. Only two people were in it; the old waitress and a local gentleman with bad eyesight. The waitress walked out of the dinner with her cane, "Levy, come on in." She waved the girl forward.

Levy couldn't deny the request; she very much enjoyed her time with the old waitress. Ever since she was born in this small town, the waitress was like a grandmother to her. "Hello Bisca-sama," she greeted the old woman; who smiled at her. She ushered the young girl in a seat next to the gentleman.

"Why? Isn't that Levy-chan?" he smiled and turned to the opposite direction. He ended up facing thin air and empty seats instead.

"Hello Steven," she greeted the man.

He turned around in his seat once more. He smiled at his stupid mistake. "Haven't seen you in awhile? Hiding something, are ya?" He gave her a wicked grin.

She faintly blushed and looked at the table; away from the two elders.

"She has a boy," Bisca guessed from Levy's gestures; it wasn't hard as seeing Levy was hiding her blush. The old lady leaned across the counter and took a hold of Levy's hands. "Is he a cutie?" Her western accent was heavy as she spoke.

"Huh? No...he...well, saved me."

"Where is he?" she asked quickly.

"I want to meet this boy too," added Steven; even if he couldn't see the lad in the first place with his damaged vision. A boy who saves the closer thing he has for a family member deserves to be treated. Levy was the closest thing he has left next to Bisca.

"That's the problem. He's sick..." she uttered with a sigh. Her body weighted down on the counter.

"Sick?" exclaimed Bisca. She pushed a cup of lemonade to the young one. "Have you tried soup? That always works."

"It isn't a cold," she paused, "He got cut in the dump; and now it's swelling and he has a fever." Her tone was worried for the boy who saved her life. Now he was slowly dying all because of her.

"Sounds like something that Al had five years ago!" Steven exclaimed. He could still remember his old friend; always sitting next to him in the old dinner. Al had to leave with his family once he was got the fever; they were worry for his health. It all happened so quickly that now Al was only an old memory of the elder.

"Swelling?" questioned Bisca. She raised a finger to her wrinkled skin. "There ain't nothin' in this town for that...now that all of the docs left..."

"He will have to go to the city," remarked Steven. He took a sip of his coffee and held it in the air.

"It would take four days on foot..." moaned Levy. She leaned her head on her hand. All of the cars in the town were left behind because their only gas station went bankrupt. Those who still had gas left the town behind in their trails; just like her blond insane friend. Nobody wanted to live here; a ghost town.

"Maybe it will get better with time?" suggested Bisca; she said hopefully.

"I sure hope so," she replied.

The old woman reached over and pulled a string of Levy's hair out of her face. "Don't worry, my dear. All you got to do is believe, and things will turn out good." She smiled and chuckled.

**For once, I'm very glad that I wrote most of this beforehand; each and every day I add more on. Thanks for reviewing; following; and favoriting. This is my first LevyxGajeel story, so it's a big help. **

**Guest: Thanks a lot, Guest. **

**Confuzed-Anime-Fan: Hopefully this chapter made up for it. **

**IxiaLiliana: Just look for a lot of fluff and feelings. I have it written, but I'm changing it around. **

**Children of Light: One of Levy's friends who became insane; for now we won't see much from him.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Is this comfortable?" she asked him. He shifted in her bed, and slowly nodded. His head rested back on her pillows, and he took a large sniff; taking in all of Levy's scent that was planted in her blankets and pillows. It was sweet. "Need anything else?" She pressed the back of her hand on his forehead and gave a soft sigh. His temperature hasn't changed much from moving him to the bed. For awhile he can rest peacefully till his fever rises again.

He glazed up at her. Within the last few days, it was getting harder and harder to even move, or yet alone get out of bed. He only made it into the bedroom because of Levy's help. His stomach rumbled a little. "Got any snacks?"

She nodded her head and went into the kitchen. She chose the lightest thing in her cabinet that would account for a snack to give him. It wasn't too hard that he could choke on. As she made her way back into the room, he already fell asleep. His head cushioned on her feather pillows. She just chuckled and softly closed the door; not to awake him.

She sat on her couch that he has been positioned for the last few days. She should have moved him earlier to the bedroom; what was she thinking with leaving a man in such an unstable state out on the couch. That was inhuman of her to do that to him. At least he was in her bed. Now he would be more comfortable than before when he was staying on this bumpy couch.

She gathered her pillows and a light blanket from the closet. These two things haven't been used in awhile from the amount of dust that covered them. She coughed when it spread in the air; it got stuck in her nose so she ended up sneezing as she made her bed.

"You okay…?" Gajeel questioned from the bedroom.

"Ops…Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't mean to wake you," she said quickly. From this side of the door, she could hear his stomach rumble again. She laid the blanket down and gotten the same snack to bring it in to him. This time he was awake in the bed.

"Oh, nice," he said. Levy handed it to him and he slowly ate it. Last time he gulped it down, Levy lectured him about it, so he made sure to go nice and slowly this time around. He looked around the room. It was filled with numerous photos of people. "Your family?"

She pointed to a pair that sat on the nightstand, "That's my parents. The others photos were our neighbors or locals. I even got some pictures of my friends." Her tone was happy as she thought about the days when everyone was chatting with each other. There wasn't an empty house in sight. Now it was the opposite with very little locals around. She was one of the last ones that lived here her whole life.

"Oh. That's the blonde from the dump," he pointed to the photo of her and the blonde.

"Sting, he was my best friend." He was one of her best friends growing up in this small town. With it mostly filled with locals, everyone knew everyone so it wasn't hard that the two knew of each other.

'Best friend?' Gajeel thought. Course he barely had any friends that he hasn't killed, but he hasn't had a best friend. Not even one who cornered him in the dump and tried to kill him. Why would just a freak be friends with this girl? He just couldn't put his head around it.

Levy saw his staring eyes, "Sting had a meltdown since Al left and others followed. He just, you know, went crazy."

His thoughts drifted to the people he left behind. His comrades…and friends… he even missed their annoying neighbor. He was the leader of a gang in a town that was always noisy and never slept; a total different world from this desert town. He could sleep peacefully everyday without being awakened by some sort of emergency, which happened a lot more than you think. He even remembered one time, in which, he destroyed an fast food restaurant because they ran out of his favorite sandwich; it was a beauty.

…

Two weeks passed since that fateful encounter, and the wound grew worse. It swelled, red streaks across the skin and endless amount of pain. Gajeel went through with it; but he became weak as the days went on. He could barely move out of the Levy's bed. The entire burden was left on her shoulders.

Levy tried everything she could, but she knew nothing could help. There was nothing in this small town that would help. All of the stores went bankrupt, and nothing was left but herself and a few others; like Bisca and Steven. She only had one choice left, and it became clear once she watched the TV, which only had one channel, in her dining room.

He appeared on the screen with a bold caption of **'Gang Slayer Gajeel Missing for Two Weeks'**. It was followed by interviews with people on the streets. A lone girl with all blue clothing stood out the most. She kept calling Gajeel, Gajeel-kun. She talked about him as if she was his friend; and how she was a part of this gang in Downtown Oakfield. Levy thought back to where they first met, he did start to say something about it. The girl then turned to the camera and pleaded for any help in finding 'Gajeel-kun.'

_'He will have to go to the city...'_ Steven's voice echoed through her mind. Levy's brows furrowed. She grabbed an opened notebook and wrote the number that appeared on the screen, the TV went blank as her electric flickered. Dialing the number on the old phone she had; it worked for once unlike other times.

It rang two times before someone on the other end answered it. "_Hello? Gajeel-kun, is that you?_"

It was the same voice as the girl on the television had.

"No," she said; it was followed by silence till she spoke again, "…but I know where he is." She was smiling at the fact this was the right number and not some fake. Now her rescuer could be saved.

_"Where? Please!" __plead the voice on the other end._

"South of Fiore. Please hurry, he needs medical help."

"_Thanks, Juvia-san will be there soon." _The phone hanged up, and Levy looked at the person in her bedroom.

He was staring out of the room; right at her. She just gave him a false smile and went to get another rag for his head; he noticed her fake smile and frowned weakly. He knew something was up but couldn't place a finger on it; not when he was sweating from his high fever. He just peeked outside of the door, waiting for her to return.

He would be gone from this house soon.

She came back with the rag and sat next to the bed. There was already a chair in there just so she could take care of him. His piercings were out of his skin; making himself look empty without them. There were a few left in, but mostly they were gone. The color from his skin vanished just to look like a red zebra from his wound. This was a total different state that which she found him in.

He will be well soon.

"Thanks…" he quietly whispered. His voice was mumbled as if he just gotten a small flu virus.

That was the first time he ever said thanks to her; and it felt strange but she just shrugged it off. It's not like she would hear that again. Not when he was going to leave. Just like the others, he won't come back. Everyone who leaves this town never comes back. That was the truth in the matter. "It's no problem," she answered back.

She placed the rag on his forehead, and he closed his eyes. He listened to the thumping of her heartbeat as he slowly went to sleep. He just felt so in peace with her around. His hand turned on top of her warm hand; she shivered at his temperature but she did not move away. She stayed there with his hand on top of hers. With her other hand, she smoothed his cover and pulled a few loose pieces of hair behind his ear. A stud peeked out of his tangled of here.

Levy smiled. Even she couldn't help but smile as she spent her last few moments there with him.

**There's a good chance the next chapter is the last chapter. Tried to add more fluff but I didn't think of where I could piece it in. **

**SakuraIchigoDark: At this point, it has been two weeks (but Disney princesses fall in love in less than an eye blink...just saying). Any other questions?**

**Confuzed-Anime-Fan: Yes, exactly. The knife was in a dump, which isn't the best place for picking up metals. This would be a good thing for those trying to knife others, but a bad thing for those being knifed. **

**Children of Light: She's living in a near ghost town. There are only a few people (like herself, Steven, and Bisca) still there since most businesses went bankrupt so the citizens followed them to the city. Without anyone working, money is little and houses are crumpling from people not fixing them.**


	4. Chapter 4

Seven hours passed, and Levy waited next to her bed. Her hand was pressing a wet rag against Gajeel's face, calming down his high fever. Her finger stroked his spiky hair, and her nerves tensed up. She started blushing again just from the mere touch of his skin. She gave him a soft smile; even if they only knew each other for two weeks, she felt like she met the one. It sounded so stupid that she just pushed the thought aside; that only happens in books. She could just pick up a random book on her shelf, and that's the ending. Happy ever after. How she wished that was true.

These were the final moments together.

A knock came from the living room, and Levy prepared herself. She sighed and loss all trace of emotion she just displayed; only a lone tear remain. She walked wards the door and opened it; not even asking who's it. She knew. She knew who would be waiting on the other side of the door.

Juvia and Gajeel's underlings were crowded in front of her house. "Where is Gajeel-kun?" the blue-haired women asked before they could even greet each other.

Levy nodded and walked wards the door. Inside was laying Gajeel. His chest raised and lowered uneven; sweat poured off his face. His eyes were closed; he fell asleep hours ago while they were waiting. The underlings gasped, and started asking questions; only Levy could reply with "Please take him to the hospital."

Juvia nodded her head and ordered the others, "Take Gajeel-kun out to the car." She turned and looked at Levy. "Again, Juvia-san must thank Levy-san. Gajeel-kun's life, as well as Juvia-san's, is in your debt."

_'It's the opposite way around,'_ Levy thought, _'He was the one who saved me. I was just returning the favor.' _She followed Juvia to the car where Gajeel was. She stood outside of the car door and peeked inside of the car. There was Gajeel, his eyes fully opened. He looked from one side to the other; not understanding what was going on. He was lost. One moment he was sleeping in wonderful scents and a comfy bed, and then it was all striped away and throw in a car.

Levy gently smiled and rested a hand on his. "Goodbye Gajeel-san. Hope you get better."

Gajeel looked at her with a crazed look; then he noticed Juvia and his underlings. A frown creased on his face. He squeezed her hand as she pulled away. "Lev..." he started with his strangled voice.

"Please shut the door," called the driver. Levy obeyed and slowly shut the door. She took a couple steps back; allowing the underlings' cars to drive pass. She could have sworn that Gajeel was looking out the window as they pulled away. It was just her imaginary, she thought over and over.

Inside of her home, she rested on the couch. Everything felt so...empty...so lonely. She tried reading one of her numerous books, but it failed to hold her attention once she reached the end. She laid the book on the table; thinking about the events. Maybe her friend, the blond, was right about her; she was going to be like dump and stay here for the rest of her life.

But even now, her home felt empty.

At least she said goodbye to him; isn't that all that matters? _'If you love a flower, don't pick it up. Because if you pick it up it dies and it ceases to be what you love. So if you love a flower, let it be. Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.'_ She chose to pick up her flower, and it creased into a weathered state. Then she chose to let it be, to let him leave and resume his life in the big city. Even if they don't meet again, she was glad she could share this much time with him. She appreciated it.

"Ah! Levy! You home?" called a male's voice from the door. Levy pushed the book onto the table and walked to the door. She opened it and it was Steven. "You there?" he questioned as he tried to knock again; but instead he ended up touching Levy instead of the door. "So you are there," he chuckled.

"Yeah," she responded with a depressed tone.

"Haven't seen you in ages, you know!" he joked. His laughter stopped once he didn't hear any coming from Levy. He may be blind as a bat, but he wasn't deaf! "What's wrong, little lady?"

She leaned on the doorway. "It's nothing to bother anyone about."

"If it's that boy, tell him to come on out! I will fight him for hurting you! Just let me see him!" He punched the air as if it was the boy.

"He didn't do anything," she remarked. She was the one who made decisions for him.

"Steven!" Bisca panted as she ran up the steps. "Can't you see what happened?!" She turned to Levy and held her head. "My dear, I'm sorry for that."

"What happened?" Steven asked. He felt left out.

She sneered at the old man, "Cars! They came and picked him up!"

"…So I can't see the boy?" he sighed and turned wards Levy. Even in the two weeks, he never gotten the time to come up and see the one his Levy fell heads over heels for. "My little lady, I'm sorry about that." He itched his head.

"It's nothing," she shook her head. "He was sick. There was nothing here to help him anyways." The two elders just stared at her with surprised.

...

Sweat poured down his face as he fought the underlings. None of them could stand against him; not even when he just gotten out of the hospital. "You morons!" he insulted. He blocked one of their attacks with his arm; shoving the underling backwards into a group of them. They fell to the ground, and Gajeel switched sides. He attacked the few in front of him; punching them in the faces. They had to dodge or be attacked by their leader. Only a few remained standing.

He spitted his gum out, and glared at those remaining. He raced forward; his arms spread out, and knocked them as if they were bowling pins. They fell on top of other knocked down underlings; one groaning in pain. A few regained their stance, and came at Gajeel again. Curses were flung around the room.

One of the underlings swift his leg; trying to knock Gajeel out balance; it failed. He stayed standing; turning to look at the underling who dare tried to knock him over. The underling took a couple steps backwards; bumping into the others. The others moved out of the way; they didn't want to get what was coming for that underling. He gulped, and finally made contact with the wall. Gajeel took giant steps forward, and jabbed the underling's face; one cheek turned purple and the other smacked against the wall.

"Fuckin' weak..." he muttered. He thrust his elbow into the underling's stomach; he rocketed over and coughed. Gajeel bashed his head; and he fell over to his side.

He turned back to the group and they were sweating. He cracked his knuckles and went at the underlings. Blows came from left to right; and bodies fell to the ground. This time they weren't rising up.

After training, Gajeel sat on his seat. Even with the training, nothing felt the same; as if he taken a spiritual journey. He sighed and looked at his right hand. A new scar formed, and marked a certain point in his life; but all he could remember was Levy's face. He made a fist and squeezed it. Ever since that fight in the dump, he felt restrained; like chains attached themselves to him. He grunted and closed his eyes. Juvia walked over when she noticed his expression. "Something wrong, Gajeel-kun?"

"Yes, everything," he answered plainly. After a few moments, he opened his eyes. "What happen to that one girl?"

Juvia looked on the ground. She knew who he was referring to; this wasn't the first time he asked about him. "Juvia-san sent Max-san to Levy-san's; thanking her with offerings. But he returned later with all of the offerings; she wasn't there anymore. The town finally went bankrupted, and no one stayed."

Memories from the fight with the blond flooded his mind. '_This place is gone for! Yet, you want stay here in this dying town! You are no different from this dump!_' So, that place was finally done for. Even though he only saw the dump and Levy's house, he felt someway attached to the old dust ball.

Juvia continued, "The only thing left was the dump and crumpled houses, Max-san reported. A dinner is still standing; but not for long. Even the house Levy-san lived in crumpled away within these last eight months."

Eight months it took him to recover. The swelling and red streaks were so bad; they made him stay there longer than expected. It felt as if he was living there; needles in his skin every day. The nurses coming in all hours of the night. His underlings visiting him with retarded stories till he ordered Juvia to kick them out. Course, he was in way better shape now, but his hand reminded him of that accident and Levy. Out of all of his scars, only this one had a decent memory to it.

Now he wouldn't know what happens to her. She could be dead if all he knew.

"Boss!" their youngest member raced up the steps and into the room. She panted and finally lifted her head up, looking him in the eye. "There's a lead in Fiore," she paused as she stared at his face. All of his attention was on the little girl; his heartbeat fastens. After a moment, she continued, "We found an old man...Steven...he's living with a McGarden...?"

**The End.**

**wisdomk6906: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this last piece of the story.**

**Confuzed-Anime-Fan: Yeah, it was an Oneshot at first; I just finally gotten around into changing it into a longer story. At first it started as 2,000 words story, now it's longer. I couldn't really think of much to be done between the two since Gajeel was sick and couldn't really leave the house. Thanks for reading.**

**Children of Light : I didn't really think much about the side characters. I chose Sting since…I mentioned the friend was blond and had a temper. You could say Al is Alzack; which is strange on my part since I chose a random name for him (was thinking about Fullmetal Alchemist at the time). But it does fit. Juvia came from the same place as Gajeel in the manga, so it made since they would be friends. Thanks for reading this short thing.**


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